Great Horse Sites

Therapeutic Riding

03/05/2012

Being a Therapeutic riding instructor has been an amazing blessing in my life. I get to witness miracles everyday I teach. One very special day was with a beautiful young woman, Amy and her horse Knickee. Amy is one of my students with Cerebral Palsy. She has been riding most of her life, and now in just the last 6 months has made great strides! Most of her progress is due to her own determination and hard work. Another great factor is her wonderful partnership with Knickee. The communication between Amy and Knickee is apparent. So much emotion and love passes between them! A truly healing energy is radiated, even to those of us blessed to associate with both of them.

I taught Amy when she was a little girl. An adorable blond youngster with a contagious smile , she would just make you feel good meeting her. After 20 years or so I get to teach Amy again as a beautiful young woman. She is now an ambitious and inspiring adult. She enjoys life, and helps educate people about disabilities and how to over come and work with them.

Knickee is one of the most skilled therapy horses I have ever worked with. Her wisdom and understanding astound me. She not only adapts easily to all her riders with varied disabilities, but also gives lessons to able bodied riders, and is a very knowledgeable jumper. Patience and love is express though her big brown eyes, truly a priceless animal partner!

06/29/2011

My good friend Nancy has a beautiful paint arab mare," Paradise", who had been gathering dust at her barn. Nancy in her wisdom, and because she has a great heart donated her to the therapeutic riding program where I just started teaching.

Paradise made an impression from the first day she arrived at the ranch. Most the horses are dark bay jumpers, and Paradise with her flowing red mane and tail ,with big patches of red and white stood out. All the staff, and "able" riders have fallen in love with her. I put Paradise through the ropes, and have worked with her, trying to teach her what her new job is. She was doing well in all areas, except when ridden , Paradise loves to move! Excitement! Head high, she loves life and wants to run all over it! Being led in hand she is a sweet heart, and I was feeling pretty good about putting a student on her if conditions were right. After lots and lots of practise Paradise has proved herself except when we ask her to trot, even being led, it gets the best of her and she will swing around at the end of the rope ,eyes wide ready to head to far and distant hills. OK , we just won't trot.

Paradise's day came a few weeks ago, her first rider was *Ronnie", a little pint size pixie who has been riding since she was 3 years old. Ronnie's speech and coordination has been slow in developing, but she has made lots of progress with her riding therapy. She loves to sit sideways and backwards on her horse, and she will often put 2 or 3 words together and ask her horse to "walk on" or stop!. Lately she has been working on carrying her oxygen tank in her own little back pack that goes with her on the horse. One very striking feature about Ronnie, besides her pink cowgirl boots, is her long red pony tail. Her hair is a perfect match to Paradise's equally long flowing mane and tail. So I just put it out there. " Hey, I said to Ronnie's O.T. and her volunteer, Sharon. I would like to try Paradise with Ronnie today....silence. "The problem, is not Paradise, was the reply , but Ronnie's Mom does not like change. It takes her a long time to trust new things for Ronnie especially a new horse. When Mom and daughter came that day I put on my Instructor hat and talked to Mom. What I noticed right away was that Mom's hair was equally long and equally red, so I said...we have a beautiful new horse with red flowing hair just like Ronnie's I would like Ronnie to help train her for the program. Let me go get her so you can meet her. I led Paradise out of the stall and we walked up to Ronnie's Mom. Paradise in the most gentle way , put her muzzle right in the mother's hands and gently nuzzled her. "Oh she is beautiful!" "Oh she is sooo, sweet," again Paradise nuzzles. "I think she wants to come home with me." I think we can give her a try....perfect. Her day had come, this would be her big test. Nikee, Ronnie's usual horse was waiting in a stall ready to step in if things did not go well. Paradise walked up to the mounting ramp with side walkers (people who walk on either side of the horse to help stabilize or act as spotters for the rider) The Occupational Therapist, me the instructor, "headwalking", today on her first day I would lead her. It takes a lot of people so one little girl can ride. Ronnie rides with a pad and surcingle so she can move and do exercise on the horse. The O.T. works her legs and arms by asking her to stretch ,sit on her knees or even to stand as the horse walks. Mind you Paradise has not had all these thing done on her, with people walking on either side of her until a few months ago, and never with a long tube going to an oxygen tank.We take it very slow and are very careful, and after 30 minutes we ended the lesson on a fabulous note. This kind of work though not very physically challenging, (with bigger unbalanced riders it can be) is mentally very difficult for a horse. I was so proud of Paradise! Her first ride had been very successful .

Yesterday was Paradise's second lesson with Ronnie. Again Paradise was perfect in every way, it always amazes me how the horses just seem to know who is riding them. Mom is taking pictures, Ronnie is putting rings on Paradises ears, and laughing when after a few steps she figures out that a good shake of the head and the rings go flying , much to Ronnie's delight! Then someone, I think it was Ronnie's Grandma, who had come along to see Ronnie ride, said the word.."run".."would you like to run with Paradise?" Noooo...we all said , but it was to late Ronnie chanted "run" Par a dis" run, I want run! Par a dis" run!" I looked at Paradise , green plastic rings hanging from her ears, she seemed to say "trust me". Then I realized that I was having that "feeling" not only was there on O.T. and a side walker, me and Ronnie, but angels all around whispering trust Paradise, she knows who is riding her. "O.K." we are not going to run, but we will try a LITTLE trot just down the one side , a few steps and... 1.., 2.. everyone ready?... 3, trot. Angels wings could not have carried us more gently, this little horse has the smoothest trot, head low , with soft eyes she came back down to a walk. Then one more time, a little longer , and Ronnie cheered ,"Trot Para dis" Trot! There are priceless, precious moments in life , angels, and a little paint horse made this one for Ronnie (and all the rest of us too!)